How to access your home network from anywhere

Why your home network is closed from the outside

Your router gives every device at home a private address (something like 192.168.1.20). Those addresses only exist inside your network. To the rest of the internet, your whole home is a single public address: the router's.

When a request arrives from outside, the router does not know which device it is for, so it simply drops it. That is a good thing: it is one of the reasons your devices are not attacked every minute. But it also means that, to reach them from outside, you need to open a door on purpose.

Three ways to get in, compared

1. Port forwarding

You tell the router to send a port (for example, 8080) to a device. It works, but that device becomes visible to the whole internet, not just to you. Automated bots scan every address non-stop looking for open ports, and cameras, NAS units and routers are among the devices most often found with security flaws. One open port per service quickly becomes a list that is hard to keep under control.

2. Manufacturer cloud apps

Many cameras and NAS units come with an app that works from anywhere. It is convenient, but your video and files travel through the manufacturer's servers, every brand needs its own app and account, and access depends on that company keeping the service running.

3. Your own VPN

A VPN server at home creates a single encrypted entrance. Once your phone or laptop connects, it behaves as if it were plugged into your router: you open the NAS, the camera or the printer exactly as you would at home, with no extra apps, and nothing else is exposed to the internet.

What you need for your own VPN

• A computer that stays on in the network you want to reach: a Windows PC, a Mac, a Linux machine or a Raspberry Pi. It does not need to be powerful.
• VPN server software running on it.
• The VPN app on the devices you connect from (phone, laptop, tablet).
• A connection that can receive calls from outside, or a relay if it cannot. Many providers share one public address between several customers (CGNAT); in that case you need a relay. See how to reach your network behind CGNAT.

Setting it up with MiVPN in a few minutes

1. Install MiVPN Server on the computer that stays on and sign in with your account. It creates the encryption keys and, if your router allows it, opens the way by itself (UPnP).
2. Install the MiVPN app on your phone or laptop (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux) and sign in with the same account. Your configuration downloads automatically.
3. Connect. From anywhere, you are now inside your home network: open your NAS, your cameras or your remote desktop as usual.

The free plan covers 2 devices on connections with a public IP. If your provider uses CGNAT, the paid plans include the MiVPN relay, which connects you without touching the router.

Is it secure?

MiVPN uses WireGuard, a modern VPN protocol with state-of-the-art cryptography. The private keys never leave your devices, and everything between your phone and your home is encrypted. If you lose a phone, you revoke its access from the panel and it can no longer connect.

Compared with port forwarding, the difference is huge: instead of one open door per device, there is a single entrance that only answers to your own devices.

Bonus: your home IP wherever you are

While you are connected, you go online with your home IP address. That helps with online banking that blocks foreign logins, with company tools that only accept your office or home IP, and with services tied to the country where you live.